“We are quite determined upon tomorrow,” she said. “We shall not give you the morning, Miss Bennet; but you must be prepared for us in the afternoon. There are matters which cannot be delayed.”
“I shall submit, then, with as much grace as I can command,” said Elizabeth.
“You will do very well,” said Mrs. Gardiner.
Mr. Gardiner, as the party prepared to separate, turned to Darcy.
“You must not allow yourself to be entirely excluded, sir. If you are at leisure, we breakfast at a reasonable hour. You would find us at home.”
“I shall be very glad to attend you.”
“Then it is settled.”
The morning was bright, and earlier than was usual in town for general visiting; but at the Gardiners' house there was already the quiet activity of a household long accustomed to order. The children had breakfasted, though not without frequent glances toward the door, and a degree of impatience which no persuasion could entirely restrain.
“He is coming,” Grace declared for perhaps the third time, as she stationed herself at the window.
“You do not know that,” Bethany returned, though she had taken up a position not far from her sister.
“I do. Mama said he would.”
“Mama said he might.”
“That is the same thing.”
Eddie, who possessed less patience for argument than his sisters, sat near the hearth, where a small collection of newly acquired treasures had already been assembled and twice rearranged.
“He will like this one best,” he said, holding up a small wooden ship with great conviction.
“You said that of the last one,” Bethany observed.
“That was before I saw this.”
Freddie, who could not be expected to follow the reasoning, declared his approval of everything equally, and with great emphasis.
"You will overwhelm him entirely," said Madeline from her place at the table. "If you present everything at once, he will not know where to look."
“He must look at mine first,” Grace returned.
“That is precisely what your sister intends,” Madeline replied.
Before the matter could be decided, the sound of a knock at the door put an end to all dispute.
“He is come!” Grace cried, and would have rushed forward had she not been gently restrained.
“Walk, if you please,” her mother said.
Darcy was shown in a moment later. The children, though attempting composure, could not long sustain it; whatever ceremony might have been intended gave way almost immediately to eager welcome.
“Mr. Darcy, you must see—”
“No, this first—”
“I told you he would like this one—”
“I believe,” Darcy said, “I shall require some time to examine everything properly.”
“That is what I said,” Eddie returned, satisfied.
